My name is Jess Shaver, I am a home-schooling British mum living outside Chapel Hill on a small regenerative farm with Andy, my NC-born husband, and our sons Caleb (8) and Silas (6).
Living and working as a humanitarian aid worker in remote villages and bustling cities across West and East Africa for 15 years gave me the privilege of meeting and engaging with people from many walks of life. Connecting with people has been integral to the deep sense of joy and satisfaction that I experienced in that phase of my life, and is an influential factor in my transition to doula work.
An inner humanitarian calling persists in me, but it has shifted from aid work to something much closer to home. When our family moved to Chapel Hill, we started a regenerative farm, raising chickens, pigs and cattle with the aim of providing highly nutritious food for ourselves and the community, caring for the animals to the best of our ability and stewarding the land sustainably. We have a family goal of being deeply connected to community and being a doula is an integral part of this. The motivation for this path is also rooted in my experience of birth and breastfeeding.
Birth and breastfeeding were profound experiences for me, in no small part because of our amazing, loving midwife and doula. I drew so much comfort from the clear information from supportive, knowledgeable and loving women. Benefitting from their presence meant that I experienced two unforgettable births; both were in the comfort of our peaceful, safe, calm home. These amazing women inspired my passion for doula-supported childbirth.
Healthy pregnancies, free from any special circumstances, and the support of my husband, doula and midwife enabled me to give birth at home. This was important to me because I spent 8 days the year before Caleb was born in an ICU, battling cerebral malaria and septic shock- I didn’t want to see the inside of a hospital room again for as long as I could help it! The continuity of care we received from our midwife and doula, and the HypnoBirthing® classes shaped each of my births. We were fully supported, informed and guided through each step, and both of our sons were born peacefully in water, after a calm and relatively short time of labor.
The same familiar, kind, knowledgeable experts encouraged and supported me in breastfeeding from the beginning, until our oldest was 11 months old and our youngest, was 10 months old. Recognising the benefits of extended breastfeeding, I wanted to continue breastfeeding them both for longer but found pumping challenging when I went back to work full-time. I didn’t get the same positive feedback messages about milk supply from pumping as with breastfeeding. Although my workplace offered me a reasonable place to pump (not in the bathroom!), it was a high stress environment that involved international travel, so our breastfeeding journey ended sooner than I would have liked.
The emotional and physical support offered by doulas has a long, but interrupted history. The presence of a doula before, during and after birth is proven to result in improved birth outcomes. Having a doula can also help to make a positive impact on how families feel about their birthing experience- positive birth memories are made and preserved. This all makes me passionate about participating in the rite of an accompanied birth. I want to support families – especially those who have barriers to accessing help – to get the birth experience they hope for.
Led by School of Nursing faculty member Dr. Rhonda Lanning, UNC Birth Partners is a volunteer doula program at UNC Health that provides free, trained, volunteer doulas to individuals and families giving birth at the UNC Health Center. Because doula services are often not paid for by private or public health insurers, the program expands access to this important care. Having a growing team of trained doulas means that more and more families can access the support of a doula if they want or need it. As volunteer doula in this program, I commit to at least two 6- hour shifts per month, to provide committed, supportive presence to birthing people and their families during the labor and birth of their precious babies.
The process of learning and practicing the necessary knowledge and skills to support families in childbirth has me diving deep into books and research and memories. I’m very excited and proud to be part of this program!
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